Languages of Ord
The people of Ord speak many languages. Some more common than others. Elven Languages Ældoni/Old Elvish/Northern Elvish - This language is mostly spoken by the Grey elves of Mith'Taern as well as The Gold elves of Fairport. It uses the basic elven script. Airani/Western Elvish - This language is a blend of Ældoni and more modern dialects of Netic. It is mostly spoken by Copper elves or Sun elves. This is the most common dialect of elvish and is easily learned by outsiders. It is the common language of the Silver Reach. It can be written in either basic elven script or Ibish''' cuneiform. '''Quældoni/Southern Elvish - This language was spoken by the Painted Elves of Oglun Quisir. It used a unique hieroglyphic system in place of the basic elven script. Goblin-kin Languages Goblish - This language and variations of it are spoken by goblin-kin across the middle kingdoms. Once a dry and technical language with a complex cuneiform-like script, the language is nearly unintelligible between individual groups due to the short lifespans of its native speakers, the variation in goblin pronunciation and its tendency to incorporate slang terms. Writing in Goblish uses a simplified cuneiform text called Ibish''' cuneiform. '''High Ibish - An ancient dialect of Goblish, spoken during the golden age of the Ibyth Imperium. It maintains the original pronunciation of the Ibish Cuneiform writing system which can still be found on ancient Ibyth ruins. High Ibish is still used by governing bodies of Ibyth. Oguruk - also known as orcish is the common language of the Orcs. A bastardization of Khazan and Goblish, this language is rarely ever written, but tends to use the Ibish''' cuneiform. More than any other language, Oguruk tends to pick up the words of nearby peoples. This allows orcs is to better insult or threaten their enemies. Dwarven Languages '''Khazan - The language of the dwarves. This language has hardly changed due to its speakers being deeply rooted in tradition. Mountain dwarves tend to write it in the Khazan runic script, similar to the script of the titans, while the Hill dwarves of Findle tend to use the same version of Ibish''' cuneiform used primarily to write in Netic. 'Paracel '- The language itself is easy to learn, using similar pronunciation and script as Khazan, however, the complex and jovial use of the language of the gnomes is rarely literal. Filled with confusing metaphors and conjoined words the length of entire sentences, Paracel is not a language commonly used outside gnomish communities. A gnome may be comfortable taking several minutes to properly greet a neighbor, but few other races in Ord are. Human Languages '''Kalkanu - Widely spoken on the continent of Danasia, this language is based on the ancient Tengu script and is heavily influenced by Khazan and in some instances, even uses the runic script. In addition to it's own system, Kalkanu also possess its own a simplified quadragram shorthand, useful for conveying simple meanings such as clan allegiance. Netic - The common trade language of Findle. This language is widely spoken in Findle, Morat Ras and Thessan, although the latter two have their own primary languages. It uses the same modified version of the ancient Ibish''' cuneiform as the hill dwarves do for Khazan. This ancient language is of unknown origin but shares many similarities with Tedic, the common language of Hul. Some scholars believe that both descended from a common language. '''Oiranu - The language of the nomadic peoples of Northern Danasia. This language vaguely resembles Kalkanu but has a more complex text form which is written vertically from top to bottom. Rhuk - The common language of Morat Ras and Herat Isle. It is a deep and heavy sounding language based on the languages of the giants of Thrym. The sounds commonly include prolonged "s" and "sh" sounds as well as hard consonants. This language uses a runic script similar to Thortic. In later ages, Rhuk was more commonly replaced by the much easier to learn Netic. Tedic - The common langueges of the Hulese people, Tedic shares so much with Netic that the two can understand each other after a time. Communicating between languages takes four times longer than it would otherwise. Tedic doesn't have its own written form. Thortic - The oldest human language is spoken by those living in the Federation of Thessan. This language is difficult to master, with hard consonants and very soft vowels, its native speakers carry heavy accents into their secondary languages. Thortic uses the same runic script as traditional Khazan. Vashoon - The language of the Vashar, as well as the language spoken by many abberations. This language is dark and foul, filled with constant praises for dark beings such as Jilin and Unex. The language is supernaturally profane, filliing the speaker or hearer with dread. It is a language very close to Dark Speech and occasionally incorporates words form the language most foul. The writing system consists of elaborate curves and loops circling more basic rune-like glyphs. Primeval Languages Celestial - '''Celestial was the language of celestials such as the Seraphim. It was brought to Ord through contact with these angelic beings. It was described as beautiful, yet alien in nature, since it developed among beings with thought patterns very unlike those of humanity. Clerics often took the time to learn it, although speaking it perfectly requires multiple voices. '''Infernal - '''Infernal was a dialect of celestial and the language of the devils. Infernal was brought to Ord through contact with evil beings from lower planes. It was described as beautiful, yet alien in nature, similar to celestial, and was often mistaken as celestial if spoken with a certain intent to deceive. Clerics often took the time to learn it, as it was thought that only those versed in the language of the Devils could avoid bad dealings. '''Draconic - '''Draconic was the language of dragons. Other native speakers included members of draconic-related races, such as kobolds and dragonborn and members of reptilian races such as lizardfolk and troglodytes. It used the arkhan script and, by tradition, became the primary means of magical writing throughout Ord, leading to the term "arcane." '''Primordial - This is the language family used by the creatures of the Elemental Plane. The language is broken up into distinct dialects, but is easily communicative across these boundries. The primordial languages do not have a specific written form of their own and generally use the arkhan alphabet. * Auran - Auran was a breathy, relaxed language that has been described as a slow exhaling of air. It was considered a dialect of Primordial, so that creatures who spoke one of the other elemental dialects such as Aquan, Ignan or Terran could understand Auran and vice-versa. * Aquan - Aquan was a flowing language full of subtleties of meaning. It was considered a dialect of Primordial, so that creatures who spoke one of the other elemental dialects such as Auran, Ignan or Terran could understand Aquan and vice-versa. * Terran -Terran is a rumbling language with deep tones that reverberate through the listener. It was considered a dialect of Primordial, so that creatures who spoke one of the other elemental dialects such as Aquan, Auran or Ignan could understand Terran and vice-versa. * Ignan - Ignan was a language full of sharp clicks and hisses. It was considered a dialect of Primordial, so that creatures who spoke one of the other elemental dialects such as Aquan, Auran or Terran could understand Ignan and vice-versa. Abyssal - '''Abyssal is the language of demons, although to an untrained ear, it is indistinguishable from screaming in terror or pain. Lower-ranking demons spoke using sounds like the barking of canines, while the speech of a more refined demon, such as a Balor, may sound like a soft deep rumble, droning ocean waves, or the violence of a swarm of angry hornets. As with everything involving demons, however, their speech was unpredictable. '''Jotun - '''The giant's language, was the ancient language of most giants, including the Empyrean Titans. It was one of the oldest active languages. It was believed that the language was the root to many other languages. Jotun is still spoken by some in the Empyrean Church as more ancient church writings are nearly always written in Jotun. '''Dark Speech - "'''The language most foul" is the secret language of primal evil, a language of such evil that many demons and devils avoid speaking it, for fear it might consume them. It is extremely difficult for mortals to learn even a single word of it, but each word is full of dread power that can be used to provoke emotions, empower magic, or corrupt physical objects. Fiends find the language easier to learn than mortals do. '''The Words of Creation - The Words of Creation was the language used by Eo the Overgod. Fragments of the language became the precursor of the Celestial language. A very few celestials remembered some of these words, whose power was said to be so great that no mortal mind could comprehend more than three or four of these Words of Creation in their true form.